The Big Three Western Powers today revised their joint resolution on the Israel-Syrian dispute over Israel’s hydro-electric project at Bnot Yaacov and will present the revised text to tomorrow’s meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
The revision concerns the operative clause in the resolution. The modification does not give Syria the veto right it demands over demilitarized zone development, and does not alter fundamentally the principle that the Chief of Staff of the U.N. truce supervision organization should have the decision on Israel’s resumption of the work on the Bnot Yaacov project. The revised paragraph reads:
“The Security Council requests and authorizes the Chief of Staff to explore possibilities of reconciling the Israeli and Syrian interests involved in the dispute over the diversion of Jordan waters at Bnot Yaacov, including full satisfaction of existing irrigation rights at all seasons, while safeguarding the rights of individuals in the demilitarized zone, and to take such steps in accordance with the armistice agreement as he may deem appropriate to affect reconciliation.”
The Big Three have also dropped the paragraph of their draft resolution which called upon the Chief of Staff to maintain the demilitarized character of the zone as defined in Article V of the armistice agreement.
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